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Advice please!
When a brush of the lower-front of your top mid-ride seems to reveal strange ruffle in your shorts, only for it to turn out to be the old meat-and-two (all quite frighteningly lacking in sensation), it's time to change something. I've got the medical basics of the problem (perineal artery, etc..) but am after some basic riding position advice and seat replacement advice. I ride a fairly basic racing bike and like it (and can't afford a new one anyway); my saddle height is fine and I know the drill about 10 degree bend in the leg when at its lowest pedalling position; the angle of the saddle is not changeable. So, to go *right* back to basics, where does ideally everything go in the saddle? Where exactly should the "veg" go? On the saddle or over the edge? Any pics to demonstrate? As long as they stop short of gay porn. Sitting down has never seemed a problem before, but it can't harm to check I'm not doing something fundamental wrong. I gather that a new saddle will help. Any advice as to models before I go shopping? Am on a tight budget. The perineal area is still a touch sore - should I be concerned? All is working, though. ;-) I've never really thought about this region till now, and wiggling the muscle down there around is a bit like it must feel when you discover you can wiggle your ears after years of trying (it's an ambition of mine). RED |
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Red came up with the following;:
I ride a fairly basic racing bike and like it (and can't afford a new one anyway); my saddle height is fine and I know the drill about 10 degree bend in the leg when at its lowest pedalling position; the angle of the saddle is not changeable. That might just be the problem then. I find that on a mountain bike I prefer a slightly raised nose to the saddle and on a roadie I prefer the saddle flat or a very slight downwards tilt. It might be worth investing in a seat post / saddle combination that can be altered. Fore and aft position is also different, on the mtb the saddle's towards the rear, on the roadie it's centred, on the saddle rails. So, to go *right* back to basics, where does ideally everything go in the saddle? Where exactly should the "veg" go? On the saddle or over the edge? Any pics to demonstrate? As long as they stop short of gay porn. Sitting down has never seemed a problem before, but it can't harm to check I'm not doing something fundamental wrong. Decent padded shorts put all the bits ib the right place. In fact I've never actually thought about where the bits actually go. I'll have a look when I'm out later. ;) I've never really thought about this region till now, and wiggling the muscle down there around is a bit like it must feel when you discover you can wiggle your ears after years of trying (it's an ambition of mine). Wiggling the muscle ... hmmm draw a veil over that one I think. ;) -- Paul ... (8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!! http://dogpoopblog.blogspot.com/ http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/ |
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I had same prob - can be alarming and take a day or so for normality to
return. Rolls San Marco saddle. Corrected it by tilting forward by one click which made huge difference. Padded shorts can make this sort of problem worse by generally constricting the whole undergrowth so I don't always wear them. Also regularly swapping alternative saddles is good idea - the pressure points are likely to be different. |
Numb nuts
On Thu, 09 Jun 2005 23:12:09 +0000, Red wrote:
Advice please! I gather that a new saddle will help. Any advice as to models before I go shopping? Am on a tight budget. Not my area of expertise. Seems to be a few Specialized Body Geometry saddles on bikes in my group. I have a Body Geometry 2 Sport, at I think 25 quid that's good value. |
Numb nuts
in message , Red
') wrote: I ride a fairly basic racing bike and like it (and can't afford a new one anyway); my saddle height is fine and I know the drill about 10 degree bend in the leg when at its lowest pedalling position; the angle of the saddle is not changeable. So, to go right back to basics, where does ideally everything go in the saddle? Where exactly should the "veg" go? On the saddle or over the edge? Any pics to demonstrate? As long as they stop short of gay porn. Sitting down has never seemed a problem before, but it can't harm to check I'm not doing something fundamental wrong. I gather that a new saddle will help. Any advice as to models before I go shopping? Am on a tight budget. The basic question is 'how soft is your saddle?' If it's at all soft, your sit bones (ischeal tuberosities) will sink into it, transferring weight onto soft tissue, and that's what does the damage. So: * You /don't/ need a gel saddle (indeed, that's probably what's doing you in) * You /don't/ need a saddle with a hole in (unless of the female gender) * You /don't/ need a saddle with a groove down the middle You need a plain, hard, saddle that's the right width across the skirt for /your/ sit bones. I use two different saddles on my bikes: the Brooks Professional, an old favourite because I find it extremely comfortable: URL:http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/race.shtml and the Selle Italia SLR (the plain SLR, not the 'XP' or the 'GelFlow', both of which completely defeat the purpose) which isn't quite as comfortable as the Brooks but is adequately comfortable and much lighter: URL:http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/1323/ What these two have in common is that they're both pretty flat and both pretty hard. And that (IMO) is what makes them comfortable. -- (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ Hobbit ringleader gives Sauron One in the Eye. |
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Simon Brooke wrote:
: * You /don't/ need a saddle with a hole in (unless of the female gender) I'm going to disagree here... : and the Selle Italia SLR (the plain SLR, not the 'XP' or the 'GelFlow', : both of which completely defeat the purpose) which isn't quite as : comfortable as the Brooks but is adequately comfortable and much : lighter: I find the SLR an instrument of torture. What works for me is a saddle with a gentle curve to it, like a Flite. The newer ones with a hole in the middle are even better. I was very sceptical, but I do find them more comfortable. Arthur -- Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt The struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera |
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Red wrote:
: in the leg when at its lowest pedalling position; the angle of the saddle is : not changeable. So, to go *right* back to basics, where does ideally Why not? Get a new saddle or seatpost immeadiately. This is the single most critical adjustment! Others have commented on why big padded saddles are a bad idea. I'll just also suggest that after you've got a saddle you can adjust that you consider raising the handlebars. How much below the top of the saddle are your bars? Arthur -- Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt The struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera |
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Numb nuts
"Red" wrote in message ... Advice please! snippage I ride a fairly basic racing bike and like it the angle of the saddle is not changeable. RED Could you clarify this please ? On every design of saddle and seatpost I've ever come across, even the "old fashioned" bog standard saddle clip there's always some provision for altering the angle of the saddle. This is a fairly basic requirement for any saddle I'd have thought. Any thoughts about changing the saddle would appear to be jumping the gun, until this question is resolved first. Given that it presumably can't be the design of the existing saddle - the actual rails - which prevents you from altering the angle at present. michael adams .... |
Numb nuts
I've never really thought about this region till now, and wiggling the
muscle down there around is a bit like it must feel when you discover you can wiggle your ears after years of trying (it's an ambition of mine). The saddle that came with my bike tended to put pressure on the perineum when using the drops unless I tilted the saddle forwards. Unfortunately then it was tilted too far forwards for riding on the flat of the bar. Getting one with a hole in the middle took the pressure off the perineum and it's now fairly comfy even on long rides (for it to be perfect I just need one a tad wider). The popularity of Brookes saddles do seem to prove that holes arent necessary even on drop bar bikes tho. Do take the chance to measure your sitbones so you get a saddle that'll be guaranteed to be comfy. I think it's Specialized who give dealers a little gel cushion with a chart on to ensure a good fit. It's probably well worth your time ringing round local bike shops until you find one that has 'em. Oh, and an adjustable tilty wossname on the seatpost'll be a great idea. |
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